BRAINCAKEBeta-Plus Decay and Quarks
In beta-plus (β+) decay a proton in a proton-rich nucleus changes into a neutron. A positron and an electron neutrino are emitted:
p → n + e+ + νe
The proton is uud and the neutron is udd, so at quark level one up quark changes into a down quark:
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Key terms in this lesson
- weak interaction
- The fundamental interaction responsible for beta decay, which can change the flavour of a quark and has a very short range.
More in Fundamental Particles
- Hadrons and Leptons
- The Strong Nuclear Force
- Quarks and Antiquarks
- Quark Composition of Protons and Neutrons
- Baryons and Mesons
- Beta-Minus Decay and Quarks
- The Weak Interaction
- Conservation of Charge, Baryon Number and Lepton Number
All 11 lessons in Fundamental Particles · All OCR A-level Physics topics